So far there are no new confirmed cases of Ebola in the United States, but there have been 5000 false alarms since Thomas Duncan’s diagnosis in Dallas. This tells you how worried people are. On one hand, the Ebola virus has a particularly high mortality rate. On the other hand, Ebola is not as easy to spread as other viruses. The chance that we really need to worry about this is the United States is low, but this seems like a good time to review immune support and antiviral basics since we will have our normal viral infections to cope with as the cold weather hits.
First practice basic hygiene. This is washing your hands before you touch your face, especially your eyes, nose, mouth, or open wounds. Ebola is spread through bodily fluids and it not spread through the air, though scientists are worried about Ebola mutating to this type of dispersal.
The key to preventing colds and flu and possibly to surviving an Ebola epidemic is having a strong immune system. Ebola weakens the immune system. Survivors of past Ebola outbreaks seemed to have stronger and faster immune responses compared to those who didn’t survive. As my Ayurvedic colleagues point out, “For an infection like Ebola, which has no apparent clinical cure, natural reinforcement of the immune system may represent an oasis of hope in the desert of fear and panic.” So start with the lifestyle basics: healthy diet, moderate exercise, proper hydration, and adequate sleep.
For basic wintertime immune support, I also add probiotics, vitamin D, and vitamin C to my daily routine. When it comes to fighting viruses, some of my favorite supplements are colloidal silver, oregano oil, elderberry, and medicinal mushrooms.
None of these have really been studied with Ebola so we have to extrapolate from what we know about other viruses and remember that not all viruses are the same. For instance, elderberries have been shown to slow the replication of influenza viruses, but this does not mean that it is going to work with all viruses. On the other hand, colloidal silver has shown benefit from a wide array of viruses.
Other agents that might be theoretically useful are turmeric and agarikon. Turmeric could be useful in two ways. As an inflammation modulator, it could calm excessive inflammation that contributes to tissue damage and depletes the immune system. Turmeric also activates an enzyme called heme oxygenase-1, which in test tubes has been shown to reduce Ebola replication. Agarikon is a medical mushroom available in some of my favorite immune supporting blends like MyCommunity and MycoShield from Host Defense. Agarikon, like colloidal silver, has the potential to be active against a wide array of viruses and the other mushrooms in the blends are great immune supporters.
Please remember that all of this information is speculative since this virus it too new for us to have the studies that we would want to make confident claims. But strengthen your body and immune system to help prevent the more likely threats of colds and flu and donate to some of the many funds providing aid to those suffering in Africa.
Dr. Laurell Matthews, ND 
Thanks for the good information! Anything in particular we should look for in a turmeric supplement?
Of course, right after I published this they announced a second case, but I guess that just makes this even more timely.
For turmeric, I was the curcumin component that was used to activated heme oxygenase, so I imagine we should look for products that are high in curcumin, but also have ingredients, like black pepper or others, to enhance the absorption of curcumin.
Very Informative article Dr. Laurell! I have some new items to inquire about at the local natural food store. I guess we’ll be placing another order from Paul Stamets catalog:) Keep them coming!!
Dear Dr Matthews, my name is Lonnie McAllister and I missed your mental health class but never got the material for it from you. Could you either forward it to me or provide the link to get it from there? Thanks for your kind response and once again sorry I missed your class that day. Sincerely, Lonnie McAllister
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I am so sorry, this must have been caught in the spam filter. I think I did get those materials to you, but let me know if you didn’t get them.
Thanks for the information! It’s important to me to keep my family safe from all diseases. It’s good to know that colloidal silver can be used to fight viruses. I already make sure that my family takes probiotics, vitamin D, and vitamin C to fight off viruses, so it’s really helpful to know about an additional supplement that will help to keep my family healthy.
Thanks for reading. I totally agree with you about maintaining health with the basics like probiotics and vitamin C along with healthy diet and adequate sleep. But we also need some of theses other tools to use occasionally when those aren’t enough.